Adolph



A. W. HILLE.

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING OILS.

APPLICATION FlLED NOV. 26, 1921.

1,428,590. PatentedSept. 12, 1922-.

Am/ A4449 Patented Sept. 12, 1922..

UNITED STATES PATENT ADOLZPH. w. HILLE, or DENVER, COLORADO, nssrcnor. 'ro AMERICAN SHALE nnnno- TION COMPANY, 11 conronarion APPARATUS FOR Application filed November 26, 1921.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ADOLPH W. HiLnn, a resident of the city of Denver, county of Denver, and State of Colorado, citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Separating Oils, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to centrifugal oil separators and has for its object to provide an apparatus into which crude oil or other oil consisting of or containing a mixture of oils of different specific gravity and differ ent viscosity, maybe introduced and which will separate the oils delivering the light oil at one point and the-heavier oils at another point, by centrifugal force.

lVith the above objects in view my invention consists in the apparatus hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical central section of an apparatus embodying my invention and Figure 2 is a detail view on an enlarged scale of the lower portion of the inner member.

In the drawings 1 indicates the vertical spindle which carries the operating parts. To this spindle is secured a disk 2 supported in ball bearings 3 carried by a fixed part of. the frame and near its upper end the spindle is journalled in ball bearings 3 The spindle is thus held against downward movement and is adapted to be rotated at high speed. The spindle may be driven by any convenient means. It is here shown as provided with a worm gear 4: having its teeth at such slight angle to the axis of the spindle that it may be driven by a gear 5 having suitably formed gear teeth and it self driven by any convenient power, the general construction being similar to that commonly used in cream separators.

Depending from the lower end of the spindle is an outer hollow cylinder 6 closed at its lower end and having at its upper end a neck 7 within which is secured to the shaft the upper end of the inner member consisting of a hollow cone 8 which extends SEPARATING (HLS.

Serial No. 517,959.

nearly to the bottom of the cylinder 7, and is open at its lower end. From a point 9 near its lower end, to its lower end, this inner member is cylindrical.

Near its upper end. the cylinder 6, which terms the outer member of the separator, is provided with a discharge opening 10 and surrounding the outer member at this point is an annular collecting cup or chambcr 11 adapted to receive the oil thrown out from the discharge opening 10, a de livery pipe 12 being provided to carry oi? the 011 from the collecting cup. The inner member 8 is provided near its upper end with a discharge opening 13 extending through the neck 7 and an annular collecting cup or chamber 1% is provided to receive the light oil thrown out through the discharge opening 13, the collecting cup or chamber being provided with. a delivery pipe 15.

Extending upward through the bottom of the outer member 6 is a delivery pipe 16 for the crude or mixed oil from which the lighter oil is to be separated. This delivery pipe is provided at its upper end with a nozzle 17 so located as to deliver the oil in a relatively fine stream in line with the point 9 above which the innner member is conical and below which it is cylindrical.

A guard block or bearing bloclr 20 is arranged to receive within it the lower end of the outer member 6, the opening in this bloclr into which the bottom of the outer member extends being of such diameter that the outer member is not in contact with it at any point under normal. conditions.

In operation, the spindle is driven at a speed of from 20,000 to 25,000 revolutions per minute. preferably about 22.000 revolutions, giving a peripheral speed it the diameter of the outer cone is say one and one-half inches, of between one and two miles per minute, the peripheral speed of the inner member, because of its smaller diameter, say one inch, being considerably less though exceeding one mile per minute. The crude oil or mixture of oils is introduced through the pipe 16 by gravity from a suitable reservoir (not shown) preferably at an elevation of about three feet, and is discharged in a fine stream or spray through the nozzle 17 against the inner surface of the inner member 8 preferably at about the level 01" the point 9 below which the inner member is cylindrical,

The lighter oil appears to cling to the inner surface of the walls of the inner member and is carried up these walls and, as it accumulates at the upper end of the inner member, is discharged with some force from the discharge opening 13 into the cellecting cup ll. The heavier oil does not appear to adhere to the walls of the inner member but falls, carrying with it any water contained in the mixture, into the outer member 6 and is thrown outward against its walls. By reason of the greater peripheral speed of the outer member the heavier oil is caused to climb the cylindrical wall of this member and is thrown out through discharge opening 10 into collecting cup 11, though it will not climb the inwardly tapering wall of the inner member.

By reason of the difterences in specific gravity and the differences in viscosity the lighter oil will cling to and climb up the inwardly tapering wall of the inner mem leer having; less peripheral speed than the outer member, while the heavier oil will not do so and requires to be forced upward, a cylindrical wall and higher peripheral speed.

The apparatus is effective to quickly separate lighter oils corresponding, in specific gravity and other characteristics, to high grade gasoline, from the crude oil. produced from dry distillation of shale being; particularly effective in the separation of the lighter oils from such crude oil produced by dry reg ster) distillation at a properly regulated temperature. It is also effective {or the separation of gasolene or other oils from water.

Having thus described my invention what 1 claim is:

1. A centrifugal separator comprising an outer hollow member and an inner hollow member within and carried by the outer member and of substantially less diameter and open at its lower end, the inner and outer members beinn; each provided with discharge openings near their upper ends, means for rotating the two members together, and means for directing the liquid to be treated against the inner surface of the inner member near its lower end.

2, Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the outer member is cylindrical and the inner member is conical.

Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and in which the inner member is pro *ided at its lower end with a downwardly extending ey' lindrical portion.

A )paratus as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for delivering the liquid to be treated comprises a nozzle adapted to deliver the liquid in a line stream or spray, against the inner surface of the inner memher.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim '1, in which the nozzle is arrai red to deliver the liquid a inst the inner surface oi": the inner member at the point at which its cylindrical portion joins the lower end 01 the conical portion.

In. testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature.

ADOLPH YT. HILLE. 

